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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29920992">But I Won’t Wait Much Longer</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/mahimahi_resort/pseuds/mahimahi_resort'>mahimahi_resort</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Splatoon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Daddy Issues, Family Issues, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Suicide Attempt, Trans Male Character, Transphobia, but it’s only slightly mentioned, the s4 is mentioned but only Army and Aloha make a proper appearance, whatever he’s called diver in the fic, why does diver have 3 names in the fandom this is confusing</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 21:02:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,714</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29920992</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/mahimahi_resort/pseuds/mahimahi_resort</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Aloha has a rough night, and tries something he shouldn’t. His absence scares his friends. So, Diver texts him.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aloha/Army (Splatoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>But I Won’t Wait Much Longer</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s2">‘Loha? You holdin’ up okay?</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Aloha didn’t really know what compelled him to check his phone that one last time. It was muted so it wouldn’t be a distraction. So he wouldn’t be able to talk himself out of this like he always did. The guilt lingering in his mind at the thought of Army texting him in panic and calling aloha over and over...it was enough to keep him from saying anything through a text. Rider constantly sent him texts asking if he was okay, if he could talk, anything like that. He wasn’t too good with dealing out emotional support, mostly settling to listen instead. So the pink squid didn’t mention it to them. He’d done it enough. The emotional baggage it gave them made Aloha angry at himself.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Word travels fast through the group, though, to his disadvantage. Advantage? He couldn’t decide. Depends on the day. A simple text to Mask that he couldn’t call that night due to mental fatigue must’ve concerned the group. Aloha didn’t receive any messages from anyone, since his other chats were muted, except for Skull’s. No special message, just him checking in. He noticed it floating below his recent one.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Diver,” Aloha whispered his teammate’s name, without realizing the thought escaped from his mouth. The coolness of the concrete below his feet finally caught up to him as he slowly started to become aware of his surroundings again. The blurriness in his eyes was starting to settle, enough to at least read his phone screen in the dark, cold, disturbing room. The numbness in his throat and limbs bothered him much more than anything else. The numb feeling was like a pest, reminding him that he wasn’t dead when he very well should’ve been. And his back? That hurt like a bitch. The cord he tried to use wasn’t strong enough, so it snapped, and Aloha fell harshly onto the concrete floor— as well as some cardboard boxes that got knocked over in the fall. The pink squid wasn’t sure if he was grateful that they protected his head.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The soft ping that came from his phone pulled his wandering mind back down to the screen. Another simple message.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s2">Hey.</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">With shaky hands, Aloha swallowed harshly and unlocked his phone. What was he thinking? There’s always the backup plan. But something told him to respond.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">So he did. </span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s2"> sorry.</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s2">You doing alright?</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s2"> no but ill be fine eventually lol</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2"><em> <span class="s2">Anything we can do? Straw and I are worried </span></em> <em> <span class="s2">about you, dude. We love you, okay?</span> </em></p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s2"> i love you guys too haha</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s2"> i don’t know, honestly. wasn’t really expecting a message, or even the ability to still be able to text ya</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s2">What’s going on?</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">He couldn’t keep his composure after the exchange, and it wasn’t even finished. Tears started pouring from his eyes before he could realize. They felt hot on the pink squid’s face, and despite the coolness of that dark basement, the air around him felt too warm. It hurt to breathe. His lungs felt restricted even though he was just fine.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">There wasn’t any fear that his father would come find him. He was on a date with another girl, not even a month after his divorce was finalized. She was just another girl his dad would force into Aloha’s life to replace his mom. Nobody would ever replace her. But every day, it got harder and harder to listen to his dad act like everything was fine when it wasn’t. His ex-wife brought Aloha’s ex-step-sister into his life, who was a literal spawn of satan. With everything from making jokes about his ex, to saying he wasn’t really trans for being in the closet, to even bringing an older man into the house while Aloha was vulnerable. It was hell. His dad and ex-wife fought every day, too. The pink squid learned so much about his dad in the span of a year. All this less than a year and a half after his mom had passed away...it felt wrong, and cruel.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">So the pink squid decided this was the end. He grabbed his phone for some reason, maybe because he wanted an excuse for himself if he chickened out, and walked down to the basement. Past the finished part of it, into the unfinished half, where there was bugs, concrete floors, and support beams on the half-done ceiling. The rest was a blur.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Aloha shivered. Part of him wanted to go upstairs and lay in his comfortable, warm bed as he sobbed himself to sleep. But he didn’t, and found a spot on the floor, hissing at the stinging pain that shot through his back.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s2">i’ve just been having a hard time lately.</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s2"> i don’t wanna go into specifics and worry you</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2"><em> <span class="s2">I’m gonna worry either way, say whatever’s gonna </span> </em> <em> <span class="s2">feel good to get off your chest, y’know?</span> </em></p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s2">Ily, I’m basically constantly worried lmao</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Guilt swarmed the pink inkling’s brain as he tried to figure out how to respond. He wanted to. He wanted to talk to Diver so bad, but something was holding him back. The pain from earlier was getting worse so he shut off his phone and stood up, making the agonizing trip upstairs. The whole house was dark, but he was too depressed to be nervous. At least the lights weren’t there to burn his eyes. Cod, he’s had enough for one night.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">All the energy he could muster up went into dragging his feet on the ground, making his way to his bedroom. The whole thing was messy. In shambles. Army used to yell at him for it, told him to clean it up and stop being a slob. Aloha never had the energy or desire. Eventually, the pink inkling’s boyfriend caught on and cooled it with the lectures. A soft thud and audible groan filled the room for a second, and then silence fell upon Aloha’s ears once again. The soft blankets around him provided a soft sense of comfort. He fumbled around in the dark until his hand found Army’s jacket, only to grab it and hug it weakly. The thought of him being here was enough to help calm his mind.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Soft sniffles escaped as his nose started to run. His crying had been mostly silent up until now. Silent sobs were common; Aloha never wanted to alert his father. But the nights where he could let out the ugliest cries and just expel all those negative emotions were the best. His father most likely wouldn’t be home for a few hours, either. Maybe if the pink inkling got lucky, he’d be gone for the night, crashing at his new girlfriend’s place.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s2">i just...</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Aloha exhaled quietly, wiping his nose with his wrist, refusing to care about how gross his face had gotten. He’d wipe the tears and snot away when he had the energy to pull himself out of bed. Mentally preparing himself to open up to Diver right now mattered more.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s2">i’ve been struggling a lot lately.</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s2"> i’m failing my classes, i don’t want to get out of bed in the morning, i can’t find joy in literally anything anymore. turf is annoying, i can’t deal with the public nitpicking my staggering, and don’t get me started with ranking status....i feel like such a bother. i relapsed the other day with sh too. it’s just been downhill ever since. this is my second attempt this week alone. i can’t bring myself to care about myself anymore.</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2"><em> <span class="s2">I know how you feel. I’m really sorry I can’t make it all </span> </em> <em> <span class="s2">okay. I wish I could. Have your meds not been working?</span> </em></p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s2">I’m not gonna say relapsing is okay because obviously </span> <span class="s2">it’s not healthy but we both know that. But it happens </span> <span class="s2">and it’s valid and justified. Especially right now life just </span> <span class="s2">fucking sucks. A grade doesn’t define you, and you’re </span> <span class="s2">certainly not failing or bothering anyone. Anybody who </span> <span class="s2">says otherwise is feeding you their own insecurities.</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Aloha felt himself sink into his bed, snuggling closer to the coat he was holding for comfort. The words that lit up his screen made him feel slightly better. They provided a small light for the inkling, helping him rationalize staying alive. He glanced up at his bedpost where he had left his visor. It hung on the peg, and usually was accompanied by Army’s beret whenever the orange inkling stayed at Aloha’s place. Right now, it was just the visor. Part of Aloha wished it wasn’t. The singular hat was a sign of loneliness.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s2">I’m holding onto the knowledge that it can and will get </span> <span class="s2">better. That this shitty, awful situation that is our lives </span> <span class="s2">right now can and will be better. We’ve all seen the damn </span> <span class="s2">stats about teen suicide; They’re fucking ridiculous. But, </span> <span class="s2">you’re so incredibly strong and I know you’re capable of </span> <span class="s2">getting past this to the better days.</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Diver kept going with the kindness. To be honest, Aloha expected nothing more than the “i’m sorry”, “i’d miss you”, “you’ll be okay”, and other messages from Diver at most, like the ones his family gave him. But here the other inkling was, surprising Aloha beyond belief. He read the messages as he let out an ugly sob, burying his face in the fluffy coat hood, praying Army wouldn’t mind later on.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s2">You are incredible, and so, so admirable. I’m both lucky </span> <span class="s2">and honored that I somehow get to call you my friend. </span> <span class="s2">I’m insanely fortunate to have you here with me.</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s2"> god damn it di you’re gonna make me fucking cry again /pos </span> </em>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s2"> i’m so sorry if i ended up ruining your night...but, seriously. that means a lot to me. it at least made me feel a bit better. so thank you, really... i’m really glad i get to call you my friend, too. i appreciate you more than you’ll ever know. &lt;3</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s2">Absolutely not! Any chance to remind you how much </span> <span class="s2">I love you and how much you mean to me is one I’ll take</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s2">Anything I can do to help, I want to.</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Aloha swore he didn’t deserve this. He just tried to end his life, and the first thing his friend does is shower him with love and kindness? </span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“I expected yelling or something,” the pink inkling thought out loud. His words reached only his own ears, not meant for anyone in particular. “I’ll take it...just this once.”</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Deciding one time of selfishly enjoying comfort was fine, he went back to responding, sniffling every few seconds to make up for the lack of tissues.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s2">well, thank you. i’m glad to hear that it at least wasn’t a burden.</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s2">You’re never a burden, Aloha.</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">That sentence broke the pink squid. If he wasn’t sobbing before, he surely was now. He clutched his phone as sobs wrecked his body. They expelled his pain, but they were also sobs of job. Pure emotion escaped with each cry. His hands shook, but he refused to stop talking to Diver. The conversation gave him a rush of relief and happiness that he wanted— no, needed, the feelings he needed. Aloha refused to let that go right now.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s2">aaaaaand now i’m crying even more lol</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s2"> but i needed to hear that</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s2"> thank you.</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s2">I’m glad I could help in any small way (:</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s2">Love you, ‘Loha. Get some sleep, okay?</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s2"> okay. love you too</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Though he promised the other to sleep, both squids knew Aloha would spend the next hour talking to Army until he fell asleep against his own will. It was the thought that counted, a statement Diver said for comfort, rather than sincerity. But, the pink inkling was a bit scared to open up his conversation with his boyfriend. The only thing he caught a glance of was the 15+ unread messages. The sight was intimidating, so Aloha pushed it to the back of his mind. Now that he had the free time to think...the unread messages were nagging at him. Aloha couldn’t allow himself to just ignore them.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The spam of messages was a bit nauseating. Army was frantic, asking if he was alright, since he had heard from Mask that Aloha wasn’t doing so hot. His messages got more and more concerned in tone as time passed, then some missed calls showed on the log. The pink squid swallowed his fear as he shakily hit the call button. A simple text was a shitty move after making the other inkling worry.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Army answered almost immediately.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Aloha! Thank cod,” the orange squid exclaimed, relief audible in his voice. “I was about to drive over and see what the hell was up. Are you okay?”</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Yeah. I’m sorry,” he sighed as he spoke. A soft hiss of pain escaped through his grit teeth as he shifted, his back screaming at him. </span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Stop apologizing cod damn it. I’m sick of you doing that when you get upset. I’ve already told you that you don’t need to be sorry. I’m just glad you’re okay.”</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Sor—“ Aloha stopped himself, laughing quietly at his mistake. Army offered a soft chuckle in response, a sound that the pink inkling smiled at. Hearing his boyfriend’s voice and quiet laughter was exactly what he needed. He didn’t even care if he was getting scolded. “..Thanks. Still working on that.”</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">A comfortable silence fell upon the phone call. The only notable sound was Army pacing around and the sound of things being moved. What he was doing was lost upon the pink inkling.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Aloha shoved the jacket over his side, pulling it over his shoulder to use it as a makeshift blanket. There wasn’t enough energy in his body to grab an actual blanket. The parka was much nicer anyways. It smelled like Army, and the material was fluffy, and warm. He glanced at phone, his vision half covered by fluff, to make sure that Army was still on the other line.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Aloha had fallen asleep with Army on the phone multiple times. The pink inkling’s deadbeat dad isn’t really supportive of him being trans, and refuses to let someone of the opposite sex stay over, so phone calls end up being makeshift sleepovers. But sometimes, Army was snuck in. Aloha’s father left early in the morning for work and never checked on him, so it wasn’t exactly too hard.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“I’m coming over,” he announced. The sound of jingling keys was cut off harshly, presumably because they were shoved in the orange squid’s pocket. </span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Aloha squinted, slowly sitting up as he grabbed his phone.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“But—“</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“No objections, Aloha. I’m not taking no for an answer.”</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">If he was being honest, Aloha didn’t want to argue. He wanted Army here, to hold him and talk to him, to say everything would be okay. It felt like such a selfish request so he objected out of anxiety. Yet, the feeling of happiness that swelled in his heart when Army refused to listen...That was comforting.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2"><span class="s1">“Thank you..,” the pink inkling whispered out as he choked back his tears. He felt awful crying in front of other people, but sometimes it was hard to not do it. Army hummed softly in response. Aloha could hear his car door shut, and the engine start up. The audio quality wasn’t the best, considering it </span> <span class="s2">was </span> <span class="s1">a phone call, but it was good enough to help the pink inkling figure out what was going on.</span></p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Army started talking idly about his day, asking Aloha simple questions to keep him distracted. He knew how to pass the time without making things uncomfortable for the other squid, something he picked up over time. After awhile, the pink inkling began to doze off, his responses fading away as he drifted into sleep. He was only woken up by the quiet sound of his door being shut. </span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The lights were still off, but he knew it was Army. Aloha had memorized the way the orange squid shuts the door. He also spoke, to let Aloha know it was him, just in case. Can’t ever be too cautious.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Darling?” Army made his way over to Aloha’s bed, gently placing his hand on his boyfriend’s shoulder. In the darkness, the pink squid could make out Army’s soft smile. The smile that made his heart flutter. “Good...You’re awake. Are you hurt at all? I figured I’d wait until I got here to check.”</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Aloha yawned, slowly mustering up the energy to sit up. Once he did, he was reminded of the flaming pain soaring through his muscles. His back was definitely bruised already. A loud yelp of pain answered Army’s question well enough.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Did you hit your back?”</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Yeah..”</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“That’s alright,” Army set something on the floor. An overnight bag. The one he usually brought to Aloha’s house. Kneeling down, he shuffled through the bag, and pulled out something. A flashlight, upon further notice. It was a tiny one. “I’ll get you some ice and look at it. Just lay down comfortably.”</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Aloha nodded slightly, laying on his stomach as his boyfriend left the room. He heard Army make his way to the kitchen. His house was small, so anyone inside could hear whatever was happening in another room, regardless of where they were. At least the house was cozy.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The pink inkling smashed his face into his pillows, letting out a soft huff. His stress was already starting to melt away with Army’s presence alone. Something about him was comforting to Aloha, especially tonight. He was so lost in his own mind that he didn’t hear the orange inkling enter the room again.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Ouch, those look painful,” Army’s voice jolted Aloha back to reality. “Your back is really bruised. Must’ve been a rough hit...” </span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">His mumbling wasn’t meant for Aloha to respond to. Simply a way of processing the situation. Army must’ve used the flashlight from before, because Aloha could tell the lights were still off, despite his face being stuffed in his pillow.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“This is going to be cold,” Aloha felt Army’s fingers pull his shirt up to fully expose the damage. “It’s wrapped in a towel, but it’s going to sting regardless. I’m sorry. But it’ll help.”</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Aloha let out a quiet hum of understanding, bracing himself for the ice. He felt the ice pack against his back, and flinched at the contact, but it wasn’t that cold at first. The coolness built up over time, making him less affected by it. If anything, the contact slowly became more soothing.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">1 minute turned into 15 faster than he had anticipated. The lack of coldness covering his bruises made the pink squid groan, twisting his head to glance at Army in annoyance. The other let out a sheepish laugh.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Sorry,” he scratched the back of his head nervously as he spoke. “You’ll get frostbite if we ice it for too long. If it starts bugging you again, I’ll use the ice. But for now, take this medicine.”</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Aloha sat up, thankfully with less pain shooting through his back, and rubbed the sleepiness away from his eyes. Army was holding a glass of water and two pills— presumably pain meds. The pink inkling took the glass and the medicine, using the water to wash it down. Anything to get his muscles to shut up faster. Cod, he wanted to not be in pain for just 5 seconds.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Everything in his body and mind wanted nothing more than to lay down and pass out for 18 hours. It was usually what happened when his mental health crashed. Aloha would have a rough night, do something bad at the worst, calm himself down, and then sleep off the aching sadness for nearly an entire day. It probably wasn’t healthy, sure, but it helped temporarily. </span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Do you want to get changed before you sleep?”</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Aloha looked up at his boyfriend, confused.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“You’re staying?”</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Of course I am. I’m not going to leave you alone tonight. A phone call isn’t enough, either— I can see that you’re hurting.”</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The pink squid felt a small smile tug at the corner of his lips. That combination of words was exactly what he was hoping for. The feeling of people caring was exactly what he had been looking for, whether intentional or not. He knew he needed it. The only issue that arose was his inability to lean on people when he required it the most.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“I think I’ll change, yeah...” The pink squid slowly swung his legs over the side of his bed, placing his feet on the floor as he steadied himself. Where he found the energy to move was beyond his own mind. Making his way over to his closet, he shuffled through his clothes until he decided to just wear a loose tee and the shorts he was already wearing. Comfortable enough. He changed as quickly as he could, already missing the warmth of his bed.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“I’m glad you’re alright.” Aloha glazed over the comment, not wanting to address the situation at the moment. All he did was off a weak smile in return.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">When he walked back over to his bed, Army was already sitting down, plugging in Aloha’s phone for the night. He popped off his beret and placed it on the peg, above Aloha’s visor. The pink inkling grinned at the sight. The beret was where it belonged, and where he wanted it to stay.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Come on, you need some sleep,” the orange inkling pulled his boyfriend into his arms, covering the two of them with a blanket. Aloha laid his head on Army’s chest, shutting his eyes, focusing in on his boyfriend’s heartbeat and breathing to calm his nerves. “We can talk in the morning.”</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Mhm.. Thank you.”</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Of course.”</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Army placed a tender kiss to the pink inkling’s forehead, using his free hand to hold Aloha’s cheek, stroking it with his thumb. It was a loving gesture the orange squid used when he wanted to show some comfort to his boyfriend. When they first started dating, Army definitely was not one for physical affection, but being with Aloha quickly changed that. Some people say he softened the orange squid up, but Army refuses to admit it.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Good night,” Aloha was half awake while Army spoke. “I love you.”</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“I love you too, Ari.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i wanted to put notes in the beginning too but i didn’t know what to put lol. thank y’all for reading this lil vent fic :]. the conversation with diver is basically word for word with a convo i had with one of my closest friends (if ur reading this hi ik u aren’t into splatoon but i appreciate ur support). wanted to use it for this scenario so i could cope with some thoughts that plagued me last night. shit’s been rough but i’m managing ;/</p></blockquote></div></div>
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